There's obviously a chance that Oli Marmol will return as the St. Louis Cardinals' manager in 2025. He is under contract through the end of the 2026 season, and the Cardinals' ownership-management could give him another chance in '25. It depends on who will be running the baseball department in 2025? John Mozeliak? Chaim Bloom? What if the hand-off from Mozeliak to Bloom happens a year from now? Would it make sense to retain Marmol and then have Bloom pick his own manager -- if motivated to do that -- going into 2026?

The Cardinals actually overachieved this season. Based on their run differential, they should be 12 games under .500 with a 73-85 record. Instead, Marmol has the Cardinals at four games over .500 (81-77) with four games left on the schedule. Marmol's expert handling of the bullpen is a prominent factor in the team's 29-14 record in one--run games, and a 57-38 mark in contests determined by three runs or fewer.

Can Marmol ever win the fans over? Will Cardinal fans ever come to love him as the manager? Or has he reached a dead end, no matter what?